STANFORD, CA-The Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University announce a floor-to-ceiling reinstallation of its contemporary gallery with a new exhibition of art dating from the 1950s to the present. The Freidenrich Family Gallery's new look juxtaposes recent acquisitions with familiar pieces and artworks that have been off view, increases space for two-dimensional works, and places more sculpture throughout the gallery. Extreme Makeover: A Fresh Look at the Cantor Art Centers Contemporary Collection opened today, December 15.

The Centers contemporary California holdings are strong, and include an exceptional collection of works by Bay Area figurative and abstract expressionist sculptors and painters, said Hilarie Faberman, curator of modern and contemporary art. A number of new objects  such as sculptures by Manuel Neri, Jeremy Anderson, John Cederquist, and Alvin Light, and paintings by James Weeks and Frank Lobdell  augment that part of the collection.

Modern and contemporary pieces acquired in the last decade were carefully selected for this reinstallation, including works by Robert Arneson, Isamu Noguchi, Elmer Bischoff, Joan Brown, and Al Held. In addition, works that have needed conservation or have not been on view for some time  such as Jules Olitski's Voyage  bring vitality to the space. The prominent south wall of the gallery features vibrant color field paintings by Olitski and artists such as Frank Stella and Miriam Schapiro.

As always, a selection of contemporary works on paper are on view in the section of the gallery dedicated to the Marmor Family Collection. Extreme Makeover is made possible by the Clumeck Fund and The Cowles Charitable Trust.

Programs that encourage active viewing of the artwork accompany the exhibition. Faberman appears in the gallery at 6 pm on Thursday, January 27 for Meet the Curator, an informal gallery talk, and docents stationed in the gallery during the four Sunday afternoons in February conduct a series of Inviting Conversations with viewers. Extreme Makeover continues indefinitely with occasional changes to the items on view.